Died After Swallowing Drugs During Smuggling Attempt at German Prison
Highly Profitable Drug Trade Inside Prisons Raises Concerns
A prisoner at a German prison died from a drug overdose while attempting to smuggle drugs during a visit from his partner through a kiss, exposing significant security loopholes within the correctional authorities.
On December 12 (local time), the British media outlet The Sun reported that a Tunisian national named Mohamed, who had been detained at Leipzig Prison in Germany on drug trafficking charges since January, was found dead from a drug overdose.
An investigation revealed that the cause of his death was an attempt to smuggle drugs during a visitation with his girlfriend. At the time, his girlfriend Laura had concealed methamphetamine wrapped in aluminum foil inside her mouth and beneath her tongue, passing through security checks undetected. During the visit, she attempted to pass the drugs to Mohamed through a kiss. However, Mohamed swallowed the packaged drugs whole.
According to witnesses, Mohamed began to show severe symptoms afterward. Fellow inmates advised him to seek medical assistance, but he refused. Ultimately, Mohamed was found dead the following morning. An autopsy revealed that the drug packaging had ruptured in his stomach, causing the drugs to leak and resulting in cardiac arrest.
Laura is expected to stand trial soon in connection with the incident. It is also known that the couple had one child together. Following the incident, German correctional authorities have begun reviewing visitation procedures and the overall security system.
Drug trafficking within prisons is known to be highly profitable, making the issue of drug smuggling into prisons not unique to Germany.
In England and Wales, the use of drones to smuggle drugs has recently surged, becoming another major concern. The Guardian reported in June that between January and October 2024, there were 1,296 cases of smuggling incidents involving drones at prisons in England and Wales. This figure represents an approximately tenfold increase compared to 2020, averaging more than 130 cases per month.
It has been reported that gangs hire regular drone operators to deliver items directly to inmates’ windows. High-end drones equipped with thermal imaging devices can transport illegal goods even during the dark of night. As a result, some prisons experience nightly drone incursions, leading inmates to describe the environment as being "like an airport."
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